AlertStar: Can It Keep Our Children Safe?
Written by Deborah J Thomas
Filed under: Administrators, High School, K-6, News, People Involved, School bus safety, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues
You may be wondering what AlertStar is all about – I did as well, before I read the news article featuring this new safety system that Mesa Public Schools are trying out. So what is it all about? The system basically features safety cameras inside and outside of school buses. The idea is to be able to spot and record any potential threats both inside and outside of the vehicle. As of now, other features of the system are still in the development phase. There is also no idea as how much the system is going to cost. Some of the important aspects of the system that are definite at this point include:
• Stop-arm camera: The left-side system photographs approaching vehicles, including the driver and license plate, that pass the bus illegally.
• Inside: The inside system uses multiple cameras and optional audio feeds to record all activities.
• Warning system: The right side uses an audio-visual system to alert children to use extra caution when they are about to board or exit the bus.
Where did the idea stem from? Though it seems that statistics have shown that the ubiquitous school bus is still the number 1 safest way of transporting children to and from school, there have been a good number of incidents wherein children have been hurt and injured in school bus related accidents.
Take for example former Mesa Police Chief Jan Strauss. As a young child, she got tangled in an accident wherein a passing car ignored the school bus’s red stop-arm. She got hit together with her sister. The driver of the car was never identified. Then there was this more recent accident in 2001 wherein Danuta Begay, was run over by the school bus she was on and was dragged for about 20 yards. The result was that she lost a leg. The makers of AlertStar say that though it is the overall picture that motivated them to come up with the system, it is Danuta’s experience that closed the deal, so to speak.
So is AlertStar going to work? Of course, I don’t think that anyone can say for sure until the project is totally finished, tested, and implemented. The idea does have merit, doesn’t it? Though school bus safety still relies greatly on the driver of the school bus and other motorists, the installation of cameras always deters negative behavior. I am thinking that this just might work. What about you?
Don't miss another post -- subscribe by email or RSS today!